The Energy Ministry and Water Authority confirmed Thursday that Israel's water system is running normally, with the Sorek A desalination plant resuming operations in the past hour. The update follows a period of partial shutdowns caused by unusual sea turbidity and weather conditions earlier in the week. Minister Eli Cohen said the system's resilience proves Israel's water infrastructure is robust despite the rare natural phenomenon, the worst of its kind in 30 years.
The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure announced Thursday at 15:19 Jerusalem that Israel's water system has returned to full routine operation, with the Sorek A desalination plant resuming operations in the past hour. The joint statement with the Water Authority noted that water supply to households and agriculture is normal, backed by increased pumping from wells and the Sea of Galilee. This development brings to a close a week of disruptions that began on Monday, Aug 31, with the shutdown of five of six desalination plants due to rare sea turbidity.
The sequence of events on Monday unfolded rapidly. At 11:41 Jerusalem, an industry source first reported that all desalination plants south of Hadera were shut down, explicitly ruling out a cyber attack. Shortly after, the Water Authority confirmed that five of six plants were temporarily shut due to weather conditions. The shutdown immediately halted water supply to agriculture in the Ramat Negev region, and the Tel Aviv municipality ordered city-wide water use reductions. Later that same Monday, Sorek A became the first plant to resume operations. The reporting evolved from a single, unconfirmed industry source to official confirmation from the Water Authority, and later to ministerial statements.
As The Zioneer reported on Monday, Israel's heavy reliance on desalination — which provides the majority of the nation's drinking water — makes the network a sensitive strategic asset. Officials clarified the event was purely meteorological, not hostile. Minister Eli Cohen commended the rapid recovery, stating it "proves the resilience of Israel's water infrastructure despite the worst such event in three decades."
With the full return to normalcy announced Thursday, the remaining operational details — such as the status of reserve stock replenishment — were not specified, but the ministry said any localized issues should be reported to the Water Authority hotline.
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